6 Ways The MCU’s Daredevil Show Can Be Different From Netflix’s Daredevil

Daredevil: Born Again can set itself apart from Netflix's Daredevil in many ways, which is good news for Matt Murdock. Given how successful and impactful Daredevil’s three-season run was, it would be a mistake for the MCU to try to emulate it for Born Again. There are plenty of Daredevil stories and comic book moments yet to be adapted, not to mention how Matt can now finally interact with a broader Marvel universe, all of which grants the MCU the opportunity to do something completely new with the character.

Charlie Cox returned to the role of Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home, more than three years after Netflix canceled Daredevil, and later appeared in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. A week before No Way Home hit theaters, Hawkeye revealed its villain to be the Kingpin Wilson Fisk played by Vincent D’Onofrio. Both Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio will now star in their own MCU show, Daredevil: Born Again. From MCU crossovers to the show’s structure, here’s how Daredevil: Born Again can be different from Netflix’s Daredevil.

6 Daredevil: Born Again Can Lean Into MCU Crossovers

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Perhaps the most significant advantage the MCU’s Daredevil show has over Netflix’s Daredevil is how it can place Matt Murdock in a larger Marvel universe. Netflix’s Daredevil was not necessarily a standalone story, yet it was limited to The Defenders, the Punisher, and their related characters. Regardless of whether the Netflix Marvel series are to be considered canon within the MCU, the fact is that Daredevil never got to interact with the Avengers or Spider-Man in his Netflix series. Now, Daredevil: Born Again theoretically has a plethora of Marvel characters to use – which includes not only the MCU Avengers but also supporting characters.

Though Daredevil usually works alone in the comics, Matt Murdock’s interactions with other Marvel heroes are always entertaining. Like Spider-Man, Daredevil operates in his own corner of the Marvel universe, which makes any crossovers between the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen and other superheroes even more interesting. The MCU has already teased the potential of Daredevil crossovers with other Marvel characters, as Charlie Cox’s MCU appearances have so far been cameos in other heroes’ stories. Essentially, Matt Murdock and Daredevil could round into plenty of MCU characters in Born Again, as seen with Matt’s role in No Way Home and Daredevil’s appearance in She-Hulk.

5 Born Again Can Have More Fantastical Daredevil Fights

Charlie Cox as Daredevil standing on roof in She-Hulk Attorney at Law

Daredevil’s fighting style in the comics ranges from a more grounded, realistic take to more fantastical moves. Though both of these styles work in the comics, as Matt Murdock does have superpowers, the Netflix Daredevil series’ fighting sequences preferred to highlight the grounded aspect of the character. Matt Murdock’s fighting style in Daredevil is not quite refined, although it highlights that Daredevil can take a punch and keep fighting. Netflix’s Daredevil also portrayed Matt Murdock’s acrobatic moves in the most realistic way possible, adding elements of parkour and several martial arts styles like Capoeira and Jujitsu. Still, Netflix’s Matt was not as agile and fast as Spider-Man, for example.

Daredevil’s fight scenes in She-Hulk, on the other hand, were more fantastical. Matt was able to keep up with a Hulk hero, and he was now fast and agile enough to dodge a car thrown at him. The MCU’s Daredevil managed to go from the top of a building to the floor in just a few seconds, a moment that highlighted how different this new take on Matt Murdock is compared to the Netflix show. In the comics, Daredevil’s fantastical abilities work well along with other superheroes like Spider-Man and Moon Knight, so it makes sense for the MC to highlight that side of the character.

4 Hawkeye’s Kingpin Changes Mean He’s Already Different From Netflix’s

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Matt Murdock is not the only Daredevil-related character who got a power-up in the MCU. Kingpin, Daredevil’s main villain in Netflix’s Daredevil, also seems much stronger now than he was in the previous show. The Kingpin made his MCU comeback in Hawkeye, and while Fisk did not have a lot of screen time, the villain fought Kate Bishop in the Hawkeye finale. While Kingpin was strong enough in the Daredevil show to turn his car’s door into a deadly weapon, Fisk’s strength was overall realistic. In Hawkeye, however, Fisk took an explosive arrow to the chest and continued to fight.

A few seconds before that, Fisk had thrown Kate Bishop from one side of the room to another. The MCU’s Wilson Fisk appears to be closer to Marvel Comics’ Fisk, who is usually depicted as strong enough to take on Spider-Man in a fight. If the Netflix Daredevil show is canon to the MCU, then it will be interesting to see if there will be an in-universe explanation as to why Wilson Fisk is now so much stronger. One theory is that Fisk took a version of Captain America’s super soldier serum. Regardless, Daredevil: Born Again’s Wilson Fisk is already very different from Netflix’s.

3 Born Again Can Give Daredevil More Comic Accurate Suits

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Daredevil wore three suits throughout Netflix’s Daredevil’s three seasons. The first and perhaps the most associated with the show was the all-black ninja Daredevil suit based on Frank Miller’s Daredevil run; the second, mostly red and closer to the classic Daredevil costume, appeared at the end of Daredevil season 1; and the third one, an updated version of Matt’s previous suit, who appeared in the rest of series as well as in the Defenders crossover show. Given how close the second and third suits were in terms of design and colors, it is almost as if Daredevil only really had two suites on Netflix’s Daredevil.

Now, the MCU has introduced a brand-new Daredevil costume that, while quite similar to the third one from Netflix’s Daredevil in terms of design, was mostly yellow rather than red. Daredevil did have a yellow suit in the comics, suggesting that the MCU is open to incorporating more comic-accurate suits in Daredevil: Born Again. For example, no live-action Daredevil suit other than Ben Affleck's Daredevil has the classic logo on the chest, something that could perhaps change in Born Again. Marvel’s Phase 4 proved that comic-accurate suits can work in live-action, as seen with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s Kang the Conqueror.

2 Born Again Can Showcase Daredevil’s Humor (Like She-Hulk Did)

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Daredevil’s stories are often more serious than those of other Marvel heroes, but that does not mean Matt Murdock himself is not funny. In fact, Matt is one of the funniest Marvel superheroes – especially when he is not acting as Daredevil. Matt’s funnier side usually works better when he is interacting with other superheroes, which is probably how the MCU will use the character going forward, given how large the franchise is. Therefore, Born Again can have other crossovers like She-Hulk's Daredevil cameo that highlight Matt Murdock’s humor. That is not to say Born Again’s take on Daredevil should rely on comedy, only that it can incorporate humor too.

1 Born Again Can Have An Episodic Format

According to Kevin Feige (via EW), some of Marvel’s upcoming TV shows will have a more episodic format instead of the six-hour movie approach used for most of the MCU's Phase 4 shows. Feige specifically mentioned Daredevil: Born Again as a show in which the episodic format will be used, which might be the biggest difference between the MCU’s Daredevil series and the Netflix one. Daredevil was more of a 13-hour movie in which an episode would often begin right where the previous one had ended. Therefore, it will be interesting to see how an episodic Daredevil show plays out and what that means for Matt’s journey in the MCU.

More: No Way Home Was Smart Not To Reveal Daredevil’s Secret